Buffalo Fighting Festival: The martial spirit of Nghe An

(Baonghean) -The buffalo fighting festival in Nghi Thai commune (Nghi Loc district) took place for 2 days from September 12 to 13, attracting thousands of people from Phuc-Thai-Tho area and Vinh city as well as visitors from all over to attend.

This is the third year that this “commune-level” festival has been held, with the participation of 16 “buffalo men”. The buffalo fighting festival ended successfully with a prize of 15 million VND belonging to buffalo number 36 of Mr. Dang Van Ngoc in Thai Loc hamlet, Nghi Thai commune, Nghi Loc district.

The buffalo fighting festival clearly demonstrates the martial spirit, heroic spirit, and the richness of the rice civilization of the ancient Vietnamese people. No one knows when this festival appeared, but today the buffalo fighting festival has become a traditional cultural beauty in many localities across the country such as Do Son district, Hai Phong city, Lap Thach district, Vinh Phuc province... and recently appeared in Nghi Thai commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An. In Nghi Thai commune, the "buffalo men" have been in the arena since 2009 with 2 "men" participating, in 2010 with 5 "men". And this year, the stature and scale of the festival has gradually grown from the number of 16 "men" competing, to the professionalism with the presence of arena guards and buffalo managers from Do Son, Hai Phong (where the national buffalo fighting festival is held annually).

Two "buffaloes" holding their horns "sparkling"


Spectators braved the rain to attend the festival.

In Do Son, people hunted fighting buffaloes to remote mountain villages, even to Laos and Cambodia, spending weeks eating and sleeping to choose the most suitable one to bring back as well as investing in care with the total cost until the buffaloes entered the arena reaching hundreds of millions. In Nghe An, "playing" buffaloes is more primitive and simple, the "buffalo fighters" of Nghi Thai arena are all selected from home stables, still friends of farmers and cultivators, their diet is only slightly better than normal buffaloes... That said, "playing is also a lot of work", not everyone can "fight", Mr. Nguyen Van Chung, owner of buffalo number 5 shared his experience in selecting buffaloes: Fighting buffaloes must have thick, brave, red eyes, the upper and lower eyelids are prominent; The horns are curved, wide, and strong; The front hooves must be short and have a whorl. The buffalo must have 4 whorls in common, including 2 shoulder whorls and 2 hip whorls. 1 whorl on the face is a playful buffalo, 2 whorls on the face is a tame buffalo...

Although the cost of letting the "buffaloes" fight in Nghi Thai is not large, the care is also thoughtful and "strategic". Mr. Vuong Dinh Bac, owner of buffalo number 12, said: Buffaloes must be carefully vaccinated, their diet must also be calculated, there are periods when the buffaloes are fed things that make their blood boil, their bodies become hot, their eyes are red; there are periods when they are given drinks that cool the buffaloes down to increase their endurance when participating in the fight.

During the 2 days of the festival, it rained heavily but people still came in large numbers, packed around the fighting area with the purpose of enjoying a martial arts festival. The arena was the communal stadium. Although the Organizing Committee had also erected a sturdy meter fence, it could not stop the curious crowd from getting closer and closer every time there was a heated match and at times a corner collapsed due to people pushing each other. Many spectators had to climb to the top of trees to witness, many flat roofs and multi-story houses became grandstands. When the "buffalo" entered the arena, the entire audience was boiling, clapping, and commenting excitedly. The fierce butting, horns, and chases of the fighting buffaloes amid the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd gave the buffalo fighting festival a very unique feature...

Whether they win or lose, these "buffaloes" are all brave warriors. And according to village custom, they will butcher the meat to sell for luck and prosperity for everyone, because according to the village's concept, eating a piece of fighting buffalo meat will bring good luck: 150,000 VND - 500,000 VND/kg of meat, depending on whether the buffalo lost in the qualifying round or went further... It is known that this festival is organized in the form of maximum socialization, calling for 24 sponsoring businesses, mobilizing over 150 million VND to organize the tournament. There are no social evils or gambling in the festival. People who come to watch for free, can live in the festival atmosphere imbued with traditional culture, demonstrating the martial spirit of the Nghe people.

Thanh Chung